9/30/14 – Manifesto Importance & Remix Fairness

My friend and colleague Michael Branson Smith shared this great piece with our CT101 class this week – “Andy Baio is a software developer for Kickstarter writes and speaks about his experience being sued by a photographer and is forced to settle and pay thousands of dollars. This is despite the fact he believes the law is on his side and so does his pro-bono counsel the EFF.”

Question :: What do think? How has this presentation solidified or changed your point of view or awareness on the subject of remix and reuse culture? How does this information effect the way you promote yourself as an artist on the web?

What is a Manifesto and why is it important to write one?

According to merriam-webster.com : “a manifesto is written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group” This is usually made public to hold one to their statements.”

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10 thoughts on “9/30/14 – Manifesto Importance & Remix Fairness”

My 10 Artistic Manifestos
1. Art is FOOD, You can’t EAT it but it FEEDS you.
2. Allow art to sooth pain.
3. The web is an integral part of modern life, allow it to inspire and influence your work.
4. Art sparks movement and enables us to share our ideas, our thoughts, our dreams.
5. Each mark is an individual expression on a continuous line symbolizing solidarity.
6. Critique and refine.
7. Learn how you work, then fix the weak areas.
8. It’s okay to have a crazy idea from time to time.
9. Eliminate the stuff that isn’t working for you.
10. Remain positive, and remember where the passion for art originated

First of all, I have to be careful if I’m copying off of something that is copyrighted. If someone is using borrowed music, film, clips, or anything along those lines, they could at least reference where they borrowed the piece from.

Coming to the part about “Fair Use,” they need to simplify it so a five-year-old can understand it. Even though I’m 26, I understand what it’s saying, but I don’t know what counts as legal and what counts as illegal. They have to make things more simple, like “Pizza, Hot.”

If you’re copying a copyrighted thing, or something published, the copyright thing needs to be at least 33% different, or at least mention that you have to remove the thing when asked.

These people who like to sue need to understand that all of these people who do post up stories, art, and remixes don’t usually understand copyright law due to it being so complex and confusing to read and comprehend.

I agree with Andy Baio’s last part of his speech, of “Something has to give,” and how these teenagers will become the majority of the voting population in a few years time.

For me, this just means that I have to be very careful on how I promote myself as an artist on the web. If I get inspired by ideas, I need to alter them so much that they’re unrecognizable.

For example, I took the idea of the ‘Dream Snakes’ from “Freddy’s Dead: the Final Nightmare” and I turned them into my Nightmare Serpents. If the two were placed side by side, it’ll be very hard to see how I got inspiration unless I explained it.

For me, my inspiration needs to be so warped that it’s almost unrecognizable if I’m stealing ideas.

1. To draw every single day (even if it’s a little sketch.)
2. Practicing and testing with new mediums that I’ve never used before.
3. When out of ideas, turn to nature and music for help.
4. Attend art galleries, museums, and artists’ lectures to improve your art.
5. Work on a medium until I master it by heart, then move on to something else.
6. If taking other people’s ideas for inspiration, warp them so they’re unrecognizable.
7. When people are interpreting your art, listen to them. Some of the interpretations can be hilarious.
8. Always bring a sketchbook and an artist’s pen/pencil wherever you go. Inspiration can strike at any time.
9. When copying artist’s work, only do so to figure out how they do it; never use it to make your art look like theirs.
10. When doing artwork, know when to stop. Use Minimalism as a stop point.
11. Don’t abandon unfinished projects. Make sure that you go back to them in time.

After listening to Andy Baio’s story, it reinforced my thoughts on copyright issues and abuse of copyrights. I feel that many policies that were written years ago, should be revised and adapted to current times because artists’ work and the platforms for sharing/stealing/borrowing/remixing other’s work have expanded so greatly. I think copyrights should be intended to protect artists and the definition of copyright purposes have changed. The amount of people and places a piece of artwork can reach has grown exponentially with the Internet. It also seems that those who own the copyrights seem to “pick and choose” when and when not to enforce it. I think artists should have the right to use each other’s work, to remix it, to make it their own or even use it inspire them to create totally new work as long as they do so respectfully.

In terms of my own work, I am not sure how I feel about other’s taking it or using it without my knowledge. In most cases, I would be open to it, but would want some credit, compensation, or at least be notified (this all depends on the purpose it’s being used for). However, I do know that anything I post on the Internet becomes public, and thus I have made it accessible to others. A piece of work (painting, video, photo, anything really) can get so widespread that it is potentially used in other parts of the world without the artist having the slightest clue. I believe that when money gets involved, the situation becomes complicated for most people. It can make it harder for artists to use work fairly as they may be targeted for “stealing.” It also could make some people want to protect their work so that they will be a part of any and all profits made from it. I was surprised to hear Andy Baio discuss the amount of cases that are settled “out of court” like his because the people being sued typically don’t have the funds to pay lawyer and court fees in order to plead their case for fair use. Due to this issue, it makes it so that companies or artists can actually use their copyrights as a form of revenue by abusing it’s purpose. I will be careful with what I post, how I post it and where I post it in order to protect myself. I feel that “grey area” of copyrights must be addressed so that artists know exactly how it works, what is fair, and what is not.

Regardless, how harmless one may feel borrowing music, film, clips or anything else from the internet may seem, its more important than ever to proceed with caution.

After watching Andy Baio’s story on copyright issues and abuse of copyrights, my mind is truly blown about the hidden legalities. “Fair Use,” may as well be written in “Wingdings font”, assuming the few numbers of people who can understand it. I understand it is essential to provided credit where it is rightfully owed that is just well mannered, common sense in my opinion. However, like said in Baio’s speech, “Something has to give.”

Honestly, think about it, what high school student bored on a weeknight messing around on their computer intentionally creates a computer-generated work, with the intention to gain profit or “steal” from an artist. More than likely, it is for simple amusement and laughs from friends. Not to end up in so much legal debt their parents have to take a second mortgage on their homes. Than again, that goes for anyone of us really; it is extremely rare these days for come across a person with zero connection to some type of social media.

More than ever, it is a part of majority of our population’s daily routine. Rough estimate I would assume today’s society checks some type of social media or online interaction a minimum of 10 times a day, and that is just out of pure habit. Whether its (Facebook, instagram, twitter, emails or even online dating) at this point it is almost instinctive, it is how we stay connected and up-to-date with the world around us.

Regardless of how beautiful a concept is it, it is so important we become aware of how we promote ourselves as people and as artist on the web. 33% alternated and changed inspiration may not sound like a lot but in the end, it may “cost” you a lot.

Three months ago, I saw a land full of reeds. As I walked into it, I felt quiet and peaceful in a way that I had never felt before. It seemed like I had the whole world to myself because there weren’t any people around that would disturb the peace. Finally, in this peaceful, calming environment, I could clear my mind and think. I have to say, I felt very lucky to have the opportunity to be in this otherworldly place. Here, it is very peaceful though there are noises, but they are the sound of nature in comparison to being in the city where the noises are from people. It is hard to see such a land of pleasure and calmness, even though it exists in the city, but people tend to neglect it inadvertently. Within more developed societies, which makes the circumstances more complex, we have lost lots of chances and time to think deeply and simply, and we start to run into a more impetuous era where we lost ourselves. Maybe sometimes, we should slow ourselves down and try to pay attention to our surroundings while enjoying it’s the beauty; regarding this temporary pause as a spiritually and physically relax journey. So inspired by this land of reeds, I created this series of Ceramic works—“Existence”.

The reason that I used driftwood and ceramics to make these works is because, to me, these natural driftwoods symbolizes the past time. After years of exposure to the weather and rain, driftwoods become more tenacious, tougher and smoother. Human life seems like the microcosm of the driftwood. We go through a lot of dilemma and tough periods, but we gradually learn to deal with it and become stronger and braver. Putting ceramic masks on the driftwood and leaving every mask with marks of a leaf is my way to express the characteristics of pureness and stillness of human beings. As time passes, I know changes happen. Positive and negative changes seem to never be separated, but at this moment, let us be calm and peaceful and try to create our own wonderland, ignoring the time, the changes, the happiness, and the misery.

1. Art is a kind of invisible bridge to connect between me and audience.
2. In the art, everybody keeps influencing each other. Through this processing, Art is getting developed.
3. There is no creation any more, we just recreate, rebuilt and reuse.
4. We can imagine as much as we experience.
5. We never conclude our work until we finish our work.
6. Artists have to open their mind to make better work.
7. Artists should be children. We have to think something freely like children. If we put many thoughts or opinion on their work, the work will be lose the basic meaning.
8. Art is the money.
9. Artists are very specialists. They keep running on their way even though they cannot get anything.
10. Artist could be a multitasking man. They have to promote themselves.

I found Andy Baio’s webinar interesting. Copyright laws have their purpose, but at the same time can cause lots of harm. We do live in a remix culture and I have mixed views on it. As creative exercises I do agree that it is great to alter existing pieces, video, or music into another form. We all get inspired from one another and by what we see. However, I can see myself getting irked – you made an original piece, someone bit it, changed it slightly, then took it as their own. Could remixing be a human theme that dominates all of the art historical eras? Were most of the Futurists, Cubists, Pop Aritists, Abstract Expressionists, etc, all remixers to a degree? Do we become what we see?

Another phenomena is how some artwork manifests itself all over the world spontaneously. There were labyrinths that appeared in many different cultures without overt knowledge of the other. Culturally labyrinths can be found in with Hopi, Celtic, Indian, European, and Asian peoples. Maybe as ideas are birthed other people catch on to them too.

1. Try to find self growth from every situation
2. Don’t forget that your art practice is exercise for your soul-just do it.
3. Be vulnerable!
4. Give 100% of yourself to every job you do
5. If you see something, say something
6. Expansion, always- in all ways
7. Visit creative spaces/watch videos and documentaries often
8. Always have a teacher and someone you are teaching
9. Stand up for the small guys
10. Always question the version of reality you are told